Published: Less than 10 min ago
A high school student was shot to death in a parking lot outside the school in Eskilstuna on Thursday.
On Friday, classmates gathered around burning candles that formed the student’s name.
– He always made everyone laugh. We are scared now, says a classmate to Aftonbladet.
Several students have gathered outside Rekarnegymnasiet in Eskilstuna.
Two of them stand hand in hand in front of tealights and flowers that are scattered over the asphalt.
Barely a day ago, the ground was stained red with blood after a school student was shot to death, a woman who was at the scene early on told Aftonbladet.
At 3 p.m. the alarm came in.
The students had just finished school when the shots were fired.
The suspected perpetrators quickly fled the scene on electric scooters, according to the police.
The high school was emptied of students and the preschool next door had to close.
– There was chaos and large roadblocks, says one of the students.
The classmate: “Standed close to each other”
A couple of hours later, the police announced that the student who had been shot had died as a result of the gunshot wounds.
The police have opened a preliminary investigation into murder.
When Aftonbladet is on site on Friday, barely a day has passed since the 18-year-old was shot to death.
A classmate says that she had just returned home when she was reached by the message
– I didn’t think it was true and knew nothing about him having such connections. He was a very kind person who cared a lot, she tells Aftonbladet.
They are all in their last year of high school and would graduate in the summer. The dead 18-year-old is described by the students as the class clown.
– He was such a nice person and always made everyone laugh, says another student at the school, wiping tears from his cheek at the same time.
Several shootings: “Man is afraid”
In the past year, Eskilstuna has suffered three shootings – last year the number was 32.
Several of the people who visit the memorial site tell Aftonbladet that they are afraid of getting themselves into trouble if they speak out about the 18-year-old’s death.
– Far too much has happened here in Eskilstuna recently. It’s unreal. You are afraid of becoming a victim yourself if you talk too much about this, says a classmate.
After the crime, several initiatives have been launched to meet both the residents’ thoughts and feelings after the murder. Leisure centers are open, among other things, to support the students.
The classmates also talk about their concerns about the criminal gangs that are recruiting younger and younger people.
– The police should perhaps do more because all the violence is escalating. How can we feel safe?
The 18-year-old was previously known to the police and had connections to criminal networks.
There is no indication that the act had any connection to the school environment.
– I had no idea that my classmates had connections to the gang environment. But it is everywhere, says a school student.